The body of top Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, who was killed in an encounter with Andhra Pradesh Police on Friday last, was cremated in Hyderabad today.

The body of top Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, who was killed in an encounter with Andhra Pradesh Police on Friday last, was cremated in Hyderabad on Sunday.

The cremation, that took place at the Punjagutta crematorium, was attended by his family members and a large number of people including Maoist sympathisers and revolutionary poets-Varavara Rao and Kalyan Rao.

The body was earlier brought here after conducting a post-mortem at a government hospital at Mancherial in Adilabad district.

Azad, a senior member of CPI (Maoist) Central Committee as well as its spokesman, was killed along with another suspected Naxalite on July 2 in an encounter in Adilabad district on Friday last.

Azad, who was involved in several sensational attacks in Andhra Pradesh, carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head.